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(No Model.) 3Sheets--Sheet 1. G. L. HARMON.

GARDING ENGINE.

PaA sented Mar. 30, 1886.

W ltr E 5 5 E5 (No Model'.) 0. L. HARMON. 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.1

GARDING ENGINE. N0. 3319,097 Patented Mar 30, 1886 L J/ 1N Fm. Afi.

(N0 ModeL) a SheetsSheet a; 0. L. HARMON.

G'ARDING ENGINE.

Patented Mar. 30,1886,

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PATENT QFFICEO CHARLES L. HARMON, OF LOYVELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGXOR TOEDVARD B. HOWE, TRUSTEE, OF SAME PLACE.

CARDlNG-ENGINE.

F r forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,097, dated lvIareh 30, 1886.

Application tiled October 16, 1884 T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. HARMON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in(JardingEngines, of which the followingisa specification, Incarding-machines now generally in use the card-clothed main cylinder isrotated be- [Q tween side frames and underneath a series of card-clothedtop-tlats, adj ustably supported at their ends by radial adjustingscrews or screwstands erected on the arched top of the sidelra1nes,oronthe arch, asitis called. In this class of machines the maincylinder draws air in with the cotton at the feed-rolls, forming anaircurrent', denominated by me as the machine current, which is made totravel in volume through the machine between the main cylin 2O der andtop-flats, the strength of the said current depemling upon the speed ofrotation of themain cylinder, and at fast speed the said air issufficient to much more than fill the space between the main cylinderand top-llats, which 2 space is not fully filled with cotton, and insuch condition the proper direction and manipulation of the fiber isinterfered with.

The top-flats, more or less surrounding the main cylinder, usually lieclose together, so 0 that but little, if any, air can escape betweenthem when in place; but the ends of the topfiats extend beyond the endsor heads of the main cylinder and across the spaces between the cylinderand arches and rest 011 the adjusting screws or stands a little abovethe arches, leaving an open space between the said arches and the undersides of the flats, near their ends, for the escape laterally from themachine of a part of the machine-current, o drawn in chiefly at thefeed-rolls, and in its outward movement laterally, as stated, themachine-current takes with it much of the fiber which is not attached tothe card-clothing but is in the condition of floating fiber, and 5 theresult is that such fiber blown from between the card-clothing of thecylinder and flats is made into waste or knots or bunches. Thetop-flats, to be operative in the best manner, have to be supported withsuch relation to the card-clothed surface of the main (X0 model.)

cylinder as to enable the card-clothed surfaces of the said top-flats toalmost touch the cardclothed surfaces of the main cylinder, thusleaving, it is obvious, at very small space between the card-clothedsurface of the main 5 cylinder and the card-clothcd surfaces of the topflats. In practicelhave found this space to be insuliicient toaccommodate the cotton and the volume of air or machine current set inmotion by the main cylinder, and the 50 machinc-current drawn into themachine at the feed-rolls with the cotton or other fiber soon fills upthe said space and then seeks an outlet, entering the spaces between theside frames and the ends or heads of the main cylinder and passing outunder the ends of the top-flats, taking with it much of the float? ingfiber. For the best results, in carding the fiber should travel throughthe machine by a movement derived from the card-clothing on the maincylinder, and the speed of rotation of the main cylinder might be suchas not to create a current of air sutficiently powerful to materiallydisturb the condition of the fiber in its passage through the marhine;but a machine run at such slow speed would not be profitable.

The rapid revolution of the main cylinder, inelosed as described,generates a strong or machine current of air, which, as stated, seeks Soan outlet in the space at the ends of the main cylinder and takes fiberwith it, and the fiber so diverted outward by the said air-current andentering the spaces between the main cylinder and frame sides, is keptin motion by the said current and centrifugal action until it is rolledup into small knots or balls.

The machinecurrent, passing from the middle portion of the clothedsurface of the main cylinder outward across its ends, acts to carry avery considerable amount of fiber beyond the outer line of teeth of thecard clothing, which fiber clinging to the said clothing covers aconsiderable part of the usual unclothed space or margin at theperiphery of 5 the main cylinder near its heads or ends, and thefiber,being carried rapidly by themachinecurrent about in the spacebetween the ends of the cylinder and frame sides, attaches itself to andpulls from the main cylinder the fiber 10o extended laterally over theunclothed margin or space thereof, as stated, making bunches, which aresoon rolled into knots or balls.

In ordinary carding-machines the fiber not actually held by thecard-clothing, but taken by the machine-current, and therefore truant,besides collecting in the space between the ends of the main cylinderand side frames, as stated,and forming knots and balls, frequentlycatches fire, owingto heat and friction, or escaping at spaces at ornear the doffer and feedrolls becomes wound about the journals of thedoffer and feed-rollers, and if the latter produces uneven feeding ofthe fiber, necessitating frequent stopping of the machine, which is alsoa very serious evil, for whenever one card of a series of cardsdelivering sliver to one railway-head is stopped, the combined sliver ismuch lighter so long as the card is stopped.

In some carding-machines the amount of waste is so great that anapartment has had to be provided in the main cylinder to collect a largepart of the waste or small bunches, to thus obviate stopping the machineas frequently as would otherwise be necessary.

In my experiments to improve carding-ma chines I have discovered thatthe difficulties above alluded to may be obviated, provided themachine-current generated by the rapid rotation of the main cylinder beovercome by a more powerful secondary or independent air-currentdischarged into the space between the ends or heads of the cylinder andthe side frames, and provided the said more powerful secondary currentbe controlled and diverted from the said space over the ends or heads ofthe main cylinder toward its center line from a point commencing at ornear the feed-rollers to a point at or near the doffer, a secondaryindependent current of air established in the direction stated and ofgreater strength or velocity than the machinecurrent preventing thefiber which is loose or unattached to the card-clothing from passingfrom between the clothed part of the main cylinder and the top flatslaterally and becoming waste, as stated, the secondary currentcompelling the fiber to-travel with the main body of the fiber inthe-direction of rotation of the main cylinder and in the space betweenits card-clothed surface and the card-clothed surface of the top-flats.

To enable the secondary or independent current to be introduced andbecome effective in accordance with my invention, I have provided ashield or deflector, which is so located as to overlap the ends of themain cylinder from a point at or below the feed rolls to a point at ornear the doffer, the said shield or deflector extending horizontallyacross and bridging the space between the ends of the main cylinder andthe inner faces of the side frames, and directing or diverting thestronger or more powerful secondary current from the space at the endsof the main cylinder over the latter toward the middle of its curvedsurface, the said stronger or secondary current of air, as I shall callit, being produced and controlled, as herein shown, by fan-blades havingtheir axes of rotation coincident with that of the main cylinder, and,as herein shown, being attached to the heads or ends of the said maincylinder, the shaft of the main cylinder serving as the shaft for thefan.

In accordance with my invention the floating fiber or cot-ton isprevented from passing laterally beyond the card-clothed edges of themain cylinder, for the stronger secondary current of air operative inthe space between the ends of the main cylinder and the sides of theframe or arch, and coming over the unclothed margin of the periphery ofthe main cylinder under the shield, prevents the fibers from coming overupon the said unclothed margin of the main cylinder, and consequentlythe formation, as described, by friction of balls of waste cotton isprevented. So, also, I provide an auxiliary shield or deflector, whichis interside edges of the card-clothing, combined with means to generateor maintain aseeon-dary or independent current of air to overcome themachine-current and aid in keeping the loose fiber on or in the spacebetween the cardclothed surfaces. 7 ,7 V

My invention also consists in the combina tion, with the maincard-clothed cylinder and a series of top-flats, of two shields ordeflectors, one bridging the space between the inner faces of the sideframes of the machine and the heads or ends of the main cylinder to ornear its card-clothing, and coming between the said main cylinder andtopflats, the other shield or deflector bridging the space between themain shield or deflector and the under sides of the series of top-flats,substantially as will be hereinafter described.

Other features of my invention will be hereinafter set forth in theclaims at the end ofthis specification.

Figure 1 is a right-hand elevation, viewing the doffer as the front, ofa carding-machine embodying my invention, three of the topflats being insection in the line of the groove which receives the auxiliary shield ordeflector. Fig. 2 is a rear side elevation of Fig. 1, three of thetop-flats being in like section. Fig. 3 is a front View ofthe machineshown in Fig. 1, a part of the arch and a part ofthe top-flats beingbroken away to show the shields or deflectors, to

' be described. Fig. 4 is an enlarged right-hand side elevation of partof the side frame and its arch, part of the frame, feed-rolls,top-flats, and the feed-roll cover being in section. Fig. 5 is anenlarged isometric view, partly in secand along the sides.

tion, of parts of two top-flats to show air-passages between them; Fig.6, a section in the linea rr, Fig. 5; Fig. 7, apartial section throughthe carding-machine in the line y y, Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a detail of thefront end of the machine, showing part of the side frame, the doifer,the main cylinder, and the main and auxiliary shields or deflectors;Fig. 9, an isometric view of the main and auxiliary shields ordeflectors; Fig. 10, a plan view of part of the main shield or deflectorto show the slots therein; Fig. 11, a plan view of Fig. 9; Fig. 1.2, anelevation of thehead or end of the main cylinder, and 13 an edge view ofFig. 12.

The frame-work A, having the arch A, the main cylinder the dot'fer D,the feed-rolls, the feed-roll cover K, the hood or bonnet D for thedoffer, the said hood being seated upon the part A of the frame, and thedevices for lifting the top-flats and stripping the same, as well as themeans for operating the same, are substantially as in the well-knownVellman stripper.

The shaft N, having the pulley N, the belt N, to rotate the shaft, thepinion N thereon, the toothed gears N, pinions 42, the cams N rotated bythe pinions 4.2, each having at its front side a groove to vibrate thestrippercarrying arms N, and at their rearsides with the usualprojections (not shown) by which to effect the lifting of the top-flats,the gear Nland rack Niengaged by it to traverse the swinging frame, areall common to the said Vellman stripper, and their operation being wellunderstood will not be herein further described.

The main cylinder 0 is provided with usual card'clothing, 0, having wireteeth, the said card-clothing being fastened upon the surface of thesaid main cylinder by tacks or otherwise in usual manner, so as to leaveat the ends of the periphery of the main cylinder an unclothed margin,0.

The top-flats F are provided with usual card-clothing], secured theretoat the ends The top-flats usually lie close together, so that there islittle, if any, chance for the escape of air between them, except whenoneis raised. The ends of the topflats project beyond the ends of themain cylinder 0 and rest upon the adjusting-screws or screw-stands S,which may be turned in the arches A of the side frame to regulate oradjust the distance between the card-clothing of the top-flats and ofthe main cylinder, the top-flats being held from longitudinaldisplacement by guide' pins 1?, projecting from the arches, there beingordinarily a considerable space between the said arches and the lowersides of the top-flats.

To obviate the discharge of the fiber from the central portion or themain cylinder outward into the spacebetween the heads or ends of thesaid main cylinder and the side frames and the arches thereon, where itbecomes waste, as stated, and to maintain an even line of fibercorresponding with the width. of the cardclothing on the main cylinder,thereby insuring a sliver of uniform width to present asubstantially-uniform sclvage or margin, I have provided the machinewith shields or deflectors E, (herein shown as curved strips of metal,)one located at each end of the main cylinder, each shield or deflectorbeing so shaped and supported as to bridge and cover the paces betweenthe inner sides of the side frame or arches,A, and the heads of the maincylinder, the said shields or deflectors extending horizontally overupon the periphery of the main cylinder at its unclothed margin andnearly to the line of teeth of the clothing of the main cylinder. Themain shields or de flectors are long enough to extend about the ends ofthe main cylinder from a point at or just below the feed-rollers to apoint at or near the under line of the dofler D, where itis providedwith an ear, 6, which, by a bolt, B is bolted to the inside of theframe, thesaid shield or deflector being cut away or made narrow (seeFig. 9) to-form a shoulder, e, to rest upon the part A of the frame,which forms a seatfor the doiter hood or bonnet. Near its other end thesaid shield or deflector E is provided with a longitudinal slot, 0,through which and into the arch A is passed ascrew-bolt, B, the end ofthe said shield or deflector being curled up under and nearly half-wayaround the neck of the lower one of the feed-rolls, thus prevent- 7 ingthe cotton, both that in the lap and that also controlled by theair-current in the machine, from being blown against and wound aroundthe said necks. The effect of the cotton winding upon the neck of thefeed-rolls is to crowd the rolls apart and allow the lap to be drawn toorapidly into the machine by the main cylinder.

Above the main shield or deflector E, at each side of the machine, Ihave placed an auxiliary shield or deflector, G, (herein shown as a thinsegment of metal) having a foot, 9, resting upon and secured by suitablescrews or bolts, g, extended through the said foot and through slots gin the main shield or deflector, the slots permittingthe lateraladjustment of the auxiliary shield or deflector upon the main shield ordeflector.

The auxiliary shield or deflector is of such shape as to bridge or closethe space bet-ween the top of the main shield or deflector E and theunder side of the top-flats F, and preferably the upper curved edge ofthe auxiliary shield or deflector will enter groovesf, made transverselyacross the under sides of the topflats in line with the said auxiliaryshield or deflector.

he employment of shields and deflectors substantially such as described,to control the secondary or more powerful current of air, prevents theescape of air from the interior of the carding-machine outward over theends of the main cylinder from its peripheral center, provided theoutward tendency of the air and fibers flying loosely in the carding-machine is overcome by a more powerful secondary current of airestablished in the machine IOO - ingtheni.It'desired,orconsiderednecessary and flowing from the spaces between theends of the main cylinder and the arches over the ends of the maincylinder, and the teeth near its ends toward the central portionthereof. As herein shown, this more powerful or secondary current of airis generated by means of fan-blades attached to each head H of the maincylinder, the said fans substantially filling the spaces between theheads of the main cylinder and the inner sides of the side frames of themachine. I r

The fan-blades and the heads H of the main cylinder practicallyconstitute a fan-blower, having its axis of rotation coincident withthat of the main cylinder.

The supply of air to the apparatus for generating the secondary or morepowerful machine-current of air to overcome the strength of the currentat the surface of the main card is admitted in regulated quantitiesthrough suitable inlets, r, at the arches, the said inlets being coveredby doors or slides I, so constructed and supported as to permit the airto be introduced in the desired quantities,variations in the effectivesize of the inlets, taken in connection with the speed of the machine,enabling the secondary current to be made just enough stronger than thatof the machinecurrent to prevent the discharge of air and fiberlaterally from the ends of the main cylinder into the spaces between theheads of the said cylinder and the arches and side frames, thus almostcompletely obviating the formation of balls or rolls of fiber, whichbecome waste and necessitate frequent stoppage of the machine, and whichare frequently caused to take fire by friction.

In accordance with my invention the air coming into the carding-machineis discharged at the bottom of the machine below the bottom line of thedoffer, where it has no disturbing action upon the fiber being carriedthrough the machine.

The fan-blades h will act with more or less force, according to theirinclination from true radial lines with relation to the shaft actuatas,for instance, with Very heavy carding, or when carding a heavierlapoutlets for the air may be provided between the flats, substantiallyat the middle portion thereof, as at f, the said outlets being maderadially through the flats.

It is evident that the improvements above described may be readilyapplied to cards which have under-flats as well as top-flats and wherethe feed is below the delivery, as in the well-known Foss and Pevy card,(see United States Patent No. 166,089,) the shields or deflectors beingmade of suitable length.

The secondary current of air established and coming over the ends of themain cylinder inward toward its middle will keep the teeth at the edgesof the card-clothing of the main cylinder and next to the unclothedmargin thereon free from fibers.

By the term top-flat I desire to include usual card-clothed surfacesarranged about the arch of the machine and cooperating with the maincylinder and its card-clothing.

I am aware that the end of a card-clothed cylinder or roller has beencompletely encircled by an annular flange, as in English Patent No. 941for 1864; but the space between the head of the said cylinder and thedisk or plates carrying the flange has not been supplied with air, whichis delivered therefrom in an established current, the air supplying thecurrent being taken from outside the frame of the machine.

I do not desire to limit my invention to the ing the secondary currentof air, as it is obvious that my invention would be substantiallyembodied were other usual well-known equivalent apparatus employed toestablish and keep up the air-current as needed.

I believe the method of preventing waste herein described to be novel,and have therefore filed another application, Serial No. 166,939,wherein I have claimed the hereindescribed method or process.

I claim 1. The side frames or arches, the cardclothed main cylinder, andthe series of cardclothed flats, combined with a stationary shield ordeflector arranged about the unclothed margin of the main cylinderbetween the feedrolls and the doffer and bridging the spaces between theheads of the main cylinder and the inner sides of the frame or arches todeflect inward over the ends of the cylinder a current of air,substantially as described.

2. The side frames or arches, the cardclothed main cylinder, the seriesof cardelothed flats, and a main shield or deflector arranged to diverta current of air against the side edges of the card-clothing, combinedwith means to generate or maintain a secondary or independent current ofair to overcome the machine-current and aid in keeping the loose fiberon or in the space between the cardclothed surfaces, substantially asdescribed.

3. The frame sides or arches, the cardclothed main cylinder, thecard-clothed flats,

and the main shields or deflectors to overlap a portion of the peripheryor unclothed margin of the main cylinder near its ends and bridge thespaces between the ends of the said main cylinder and the inner sides ofthe side frames or arches, combined with an auxiliary shield ordeflector to bridge the space between the main shield or deflector andthe inner sides of the flats, and to operate substantially as described.

4. The frame sides or arches, the cardclothed main cylinder, thecard-clothed flats,

and the main shields or deflectors to overlap a portion of the peripheryor unclothed margin of the main cylinder near its ends and bridge thespace between the ends of said main cylinder and the inner sides of theside frames or arches, combined with an auxiliary shield or deflector tobridge the space between the exact means shown for generating andsupplymain shield or deflector and the inner sides of the flats, andwith mechanism, substantially as described, to generate or maintain asecondary current of air and discharge it from the space between theends or heads of the main cylinder under the said main shield ordeflector over and upon the main cylinder from its ends or heads towardits peripheral center, to operate substantially as described.

5. The side frames or arohes,the main cylinder, and the series of flatsprovided at their under sides with transverse grooves, combined with themain and auxiliary shields or defleetors, the auxiliary shield ordeflector entering the said grooves, substantially as described.

6. The side frames or arches, the main cylinder, the flats, the doffer,and the feed-rolls, combined with the main shield or deflector,

one end of which is made to embrace and 20 shield the necks of the upperfeed-r0ll, to 0perate substantially as described.

CHARLES L. HARMON. \Vitnesses:

ALBERT M. Moons, EDWARD .B. HOWE.

